Being Rich Eliminates 67% of Life’s Problems

Have you ever wondered what the most common major problems are in life? I have. I spent the past 12 years studying the rich and the poor (Rich Habits Study) and found that there were 12 frequent big problems almost everyone has to contend with:

Health Problems

Financial Problems

Family Problems

Neighbor Problems

Home Ownership Problems

Car Problems

Addiction Problems

Job Problems

Relationship Problems

Death/Disability Problems

Time Management Problems

Weather Problems

When I analyzed my study data I realized that the rich struggle with only four problems: Family Problems, Death/Disability Problems, Time Management Problems and Weather Problems. If you do the math, being rich eliminates 67% of life’s major problems. Let’s delve into why.

Health Problems

According to my research data, 76% of the rich do some form of cardio exercise every day for about thirty minutes. The science on the health benefits of cardio exercise is clear – cardio exercise improves your health and extends your life. But what about cancer? Cancer is fairly democratic in that it plagues the rich and the poor alike, however, studies indicate that a poor diet increases the incidence of cancer. According to my research the rich and the poor had very different diets. The rich ate significantly less junk food, consumed significantly less alcohol, avoided fast food restaurants and consumed far less sugar than the poor did. On top of all this, the rich have the financial means to secure the best medical care, in the event something does go wrong.

Financial Problems

The only financial problems the rich have involves managing their money and investments. One hundred percent of the rich in my study owned their home and 84% had no mortgage.

Family Problems

Rich or poor, we cannot control family problems. Having a family means you will deal with a whole host of family issues.

Neighbor Problems

The rich have the luxury to pick their neighbors. They can afford to find the best places to live. And if they decide they can’t tolerate their neighbors, they have the financial ability to move to a better neighborhood.

Home Ownership Problems

If the central air conditioning system breaks, the rich have the money to fix it immediately. When it comes to major repairs, the only issue for the rich is how fast the electrician, plumber or carpenter can get the job done. There are no financial concerns for the rich when something goes wrong with their home.

Car Problems

If something goes wrong with their car, the rich can afford to get it towed to a repair shop or simply buy a new car.

Addiction Problems

Drugs are a blight on society. No one, not even the rich, can escape this blight. The big difference is that the rich can afford to send themselves, their spouse or their children to the best and most effective drug rehabilitation centers. The rich have the financial resources to secure the best care in dealing with addiction problems.

Job Problems

According to my data, 86% of the rich like or love what they do for a living. Because they like or love what they do for a living, they do a better job. They have no fear of being fired because they either own their own business (51% of the rich in my study owned their own business) or they are a decision-maker where they work (91% in my study were decision-makers), meaning they do the firing.

Relationship Problems

According to my data, relationships are the currency of the wealthy. The rich surround themselves with other like-minded people who share their goals, dreams, thinking, morality and virtues. They devote an enormous amount of time to managing their success relationships and they make a habit of avoiding toxic relationships. Plus, because they are rich, they are treated differently by others. Rich people can help those who are not rich in any number of ways, so they are treated with kid gloves by those who are not rich.

Death/Disability Problems

Death or disability can happen to anyone at any time, rich or poor.

Time Management Problems

Sixty-five percent of the rich have at least three sources of income to manage. as a result, they are constantly pressed for time in managing those activities. Plus, 91% of the rich are decision-makers where they work. Responsibility follows decision-makers wherever they go, even on vacations. Time management is a constant problem for the rich.

Weather Problems

Do I need to even address this? Weather affects everyone, rich or poor.

Tom Corley understands the difference between being rich and poor: at age nine, his family went from being multi-millionaires to broke in just one night, due to a catastrophic fire that destroyed his Dad's thriving business. For fourteen years they struggled with poverty. There were eleven in Tom's family, and they lived in constant fear of losing their home.

Driven by the desire to unlock the secrets to success and failure, Tom spent five years studying the daily activities of 233 rich people and 128 poor people. He discovered there was an immense difference between the habits of the rich and the poor. During his research he identified over 300 daily activities that separated the “haves” from the “have nots.” Tom decided to write a book to share what he learned. That book, Rich Habits: The Daily Success Habits of Wealthy Individuals (1st Edition), went on to become an Amazon Bestseller in the United States forty times over a three year period. To give you some perspective, in order to be a true Amazon Bestseller in the United States, where you actually receive a specific Bestseller designation from Amazon, you need to be in the top 100 of all books sold by Amazon in the United States in a given day. Rich Habits did that for nearly thirty straight days, rising as high as #7, eclipsing such Bestselling authors such as Stephen Covey, Robert Kiyosaki and J.K. Rowlings. Imagine that - an unknown, first-time, self-published author selling more books than J.K. Rowlings!

Tom now travels the world, sharing his Rich Habits and motivating audiences at industry conferences, corporate events, universities, multi-level marketing group events, and global sales organizations’ presentations and finance conferences. He has even spoken on the same stage with famous entrepreneurs and personal development experts, such as Sir Richard Branson, Robin Sharma, Dr. Daniel Amen, and many others.

Tom has shared his insights on various national and international network, cable, and Internet television programs such as CBS Evening News, NBC News, Yahoo Financially Fit, Money.com, India TV, News.com Australia, and a host of others. He has been interviewed on many prestigious nationally syndicated radio shows, including the Dave Ramsey Show, Marketplace Money, and WABC.

Tom has been featured in numerous print magazines—such as Money magazine, Inc. Magazine, SUCCESS Magazine, Entrepreneur magazine, Fast Company magazine, More magazine, Epoca Magazine (Brazil’s largest weekly) and Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine—and various online publications, including USA Today, CNN, MSN Money, SUCCESS.com, Inc.com, and the Huffington Post. Tom is a frequent contributor to Business Insider, Credit.com, Bankrate.com and a few other media outlets.

National publicity has garnered international media attention for Tom and his Rich Habits research spanning 23 countries. Broadcast media, online publications, and television throughout Asia, the South Pacific, Europe, the United Kingdom, and Central and South America have shared his powerful message.

In an effort to help parents, grandparents, teachers and adults become success mentors to the younger generation, Tom released his second book, Rich Kids: How to Raise Our Children to be Happy and Successful in Life in 2014. This book was the self-help category winner of the 2015 New York Book Festival and Runner-up in the prestigious 2015 Writer’s Digest Self-Published Book Awards Contest. In 2016 Tom released his third book, Change Your Habits, Change Your Life. This book provides the latest science on habit change as well as more of Tom's unique research on the specific habits that helped transform 177 ordinary individuals into self-made millionaires.

Besides being an author, Tom is also a CPA, CFP, and hold a master’s degree in taxation. As president of Cerefice and Company, CPAs, Tom heads one of the premier financial firms in New Jersey.